The two are now working together in a bid to qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.

Such an achievement would be astonishing given her accident -- but her determination to succeed in dressage is obvious to all who have met her.

Having started riding at the age of three, Smith competed in show jumping until her mid-teens.

"When my eyesight got to the point that show jumping and eventing were becoming a dangerous sport, I decided to look for a really good dressage trainer that could take me on and start me from scratch," she recalls.

"I've never actually seen dressage being performed. When I could see, I was obviously very interested in all the things that involved speed and obstacles."

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Dressage, which Smith describes as "ballet with horses," was originally used to train the animals during the Renaissance period.

The "piaffe" is a signature move where the horse jogs on the spot, while there are also the "flying changes" -- where it skips on alternate legs.

"It is all about harnessing the horse's energy and channeling it in different ways, and the control comes from your seat," Smith explains.

"The horse has to be incredibly supple and incredibly strong. It's all gentle movements -- you're never going to get half a tonne of horse to do something by being strong. You have to ask them nicely."

At the Olympics and Paralympics, there are two controlled rounds, where competitors are marked out of 10 and awarded a percentage score, before showcasing their freestyle routine.

Smith's favorite music is swing, with the big band sound of Glenn Miller enough to get her "In the Mood."

But while the swing will hopefully turn to samba in time for Rio, Smith says she still faces a real challenge to qualify for the British team.